Piano Lessons
by MerryBrandy
Summary: Tenten takes piano lessons from Neji and they both learn a little more. A story about their love. Told from Hinata's POV.


Piano Lesson

I can't remember too much before Tenten. There aren't many memories without her feisty attitude and chocolate brown hair. I can barely remember family picnics or my mother's embrace, but I can recall almost every moment I've ever spent with Tenten. I was once a shy little 3rd grader, unsure and without enough confidence to protect myself. There was no one willing to befriend the quiet one but plenty of kids who would pick on her. One day a group of older girls pushed me around on the playground. They threw me to the bottom of the slide and took turns falling on me from above. One second I was using my arm to cover my face and then suddenly I felt someone use it to pull me up. She looked me in the eyes. Two eyes that stared right at me, seeing right through the nervousness, were matched by two hands. The left grabbed my shaking hand while the right punched the first kid to put their hands on her. From then on she never left my side. For that I am grateful.

Although it was trivial, I wanted to be there for her. It was a small event, something I thought would barely make a scratch in her life, but I was going to be there. It was the first time in a long time that Tenten every needed my support.

Tenten finally decided that she wanted to take piano lessons. She learned the instrument earlier in her childhood. I recall hours spent watching her practice after school. As soon as her fingers touched the ivory keys, something magical happened. The usual frantic energy Tenten threw into the air, calmed down. Her persona was peaceful when she played Air on G. Tenten was no longer anxious, but tranquil. Those long fingers of hers were perfect for the piano, but they were also convenient for holding nun chucks.

Always quick to prove herself, Tenten had the personality of a fighter. She could never sit still and was always ready to fight. In order to channel her hyper activeness, she was enrolled in kendo, archery, tae kwon do, and whatever else would grant her a belt or a sword. With too much on her plate, Tenten decided to drop piano. As impressive as it was to see an eleven year old overpower grown men, I never thought she made the right choice. She needed something to calm her down. Something to bring her back to earth and keep her grounded. Combat was Tenten's ship, taking her to new places, but music was her anchor. Without it, she will be sailing for ages, never stopping and always fighting something or someone.

The day she approached me about learning piano again, I felt almost relieved. I knew that for the first time in a long time, she was going to feel something other than madness. She already found a company that would provide her with an experienced instructor. She asked if I'd come with her to her first class. It was funny. Tenten, a grown woman at the age of 20, was nervous about going back to class. But of course I said yes. Conveniently, her lessons were at the same place and time as my speech therapy.

When we arrived, Tenten parked her car in a very dramatic fashion. She gave it a sharp turn into the parking spot. The car was slightly over the yellow line but Tenten said it wouldn't matter. We laugh at her mediocre parking skills as we entered the building. Walking through familiar corridors, I showed her which room was her classroom. In case she needed anything, my room was only a couple doors down.

The room itself was fairly plain. White walls and white curtains enclosed the area. One large window painted the left wall. A large red sofa sat to the closest wall. In the middle of the room was a midnight black grand piano. It wasn't before long that Tenten was bored of waiting and approached the piano. Patience was never really her strong suit. She pulled out the seat under the piano and sat down. Her fingers fumbled over many of the keys, but in time she remembered them all. Soon she was playing childish tunes and reminiscing about the days when she'd play and I'd watch. I smiled, as she laughed, both of us hardly noticing the man that walked into the room. He approached Tenten, pulling down the piano cover, barely giving her time to remove her fingers from the keys. Before she had time to yell, her eyes met his and the room fell silent. Only then did I realize who her teacher was.

He was my cousin, Neji Hyuuga. Neji lost his father at a very young age and ever since the funeral he coped in a way only a young boy would know how. Orphaned early on and forced to live with his uncle's family, he lashed out, refusing to give respect and denying any familial ties he had to my father and the rest of his family. I went months without every hearing a word from him. By the time I was 11 I learned to ignore his presence and let him brood. Our relationship wasn't one of understanding and happiness.

Tenten would often visit my house. She'd stay for dinner and help babysit Hanabi. Although he tried his best to avoid her, Tenten would often manage to catch a glance at Neji or steal conversation from his lips. By freshman year of high school, Tenten knew him as the allusive Hyuuga. Fate would have it that they were put in almost every class together. She pestered him during class and harassed him in the hallways. He would face her consistent questions after school at home and would continuously be berated with text after text. At first he was irritated, but soon after we noticed something different about Neji. He began to smile, hiding it from us as much as he could. He would wait for her in the hallways, initiate conversation on the bus, and even invite her over to do homework. She liked him. She never liked any guy before but she liked the stoic Neji Hyuuga and she liked that he was my cousin. Neji didn't. He didn't like that the girl he was interested in was also best friends with someone he hated beyond measure. If Tenten wasn't with him, she was with me and more often she was with me. At first it was a nonissue. Tentative hang outs lead to more serious dates. Tenten and Neji were opening up to one another and after a month of 'being official', Neji seemed more aggressive towards me. The anger built up until finally Neji exploded at me in front of Tenten when she refused coffee with him to see a movie with me.

"I hate you. I hate everything you stand for. You're very existence disgusts me and I am sick of your interference in my life." The statement got him a slap in the face. He looked at her in surprise.

"How…why…what? Tenten, I…"

"I don't care. Hinata is my family." It was the end of their relationship. High school drama ensued with rumors of Neji cheating on Tenten or Tenten becoming a lesbian. The scandal was ridiculous but the damage was done. Hallways were avoided and animosity grew. It was at least a year before Neji spoke to me again and Tenten never came over afterwards.

Now as she looked at him, emotions and memories rushed back. Unsure of what to do, Tenten turned back towards the piano.

"Unprofessional." She murmured under her breath.

"Excuse me?" Neji stared at her hard, daring her to say another word. She looked at him arrogantly. With one eyebrow raised, she pushed the piano cover back up.

"A teacher arriving after his student, it's unprofessional."

"Well I wasn't expecting such a large student." The class continued as such. Small quips and retorts while Neji had her practice a few keys. Though they both tried to portray themselves as confident and unaffected, there was an air of nervousness between them. Neji stood a couple feet away from her, refusing to ever make eye contact. Instead of the expected calmness, Tenten was fidgeting in her seat. The moment the second hand hit 7, they grabbed their things and bolted to the door. Noticing Neji's dramatic movement, Tenten called him out.

"What is with you? What kind of teacher ditches their student that quickly?"

"As I recall, it was the student that ditched the teacher." He finally looked her in the eye to see if she recognized the intention behind his statement. Before Tenten could react, he walked out the door. She stood there, brows furrowed and eyes ready to tear up. She looked at me and shook her head.

"Of the 7 billion people in the world my piano teacher had to be my ex-boyfriend!" She shouted over the music on the radio. The windows were down and she was driving almost 15 over the speed limit. "I don't know Hina, do I quit again or get a new teacher? I don't want to do either. It shows that I'm not over him and Hinata I really want him to think I'm over him." She kept her eyes on the road but reached out to grab my hand. I didn't know what to say to her to I kept silent.

That night Neji came to my room. He sat down on my desk chair and was silent for a minute before even saying hello.

"Why me?"

"E-E-Excuse Neji?" He placed his head in his hands.

"Of the 7 billion people in the world why did my student have to be Tenten."

"I'm s-s-sorry. If,..If you'd like, I-I-I could convince h-her to get a new in-in-instructor."

"No, don't do that." He got up and walked towards the door. Right at the doorframe he stopped. "Does she know we made up? That I'm no longer that hateful kid?"

"Yes, she d-does."

"Thank you."

That next lesson was just as uncomfortable as the last. Though I wasn't there, Tenten told me about how she could barely look at him without feeling the way she used to. She said he wouldn't even help her with the keys in order to avoid touching her. The moment it was time to leave, they both rushed out again.

The week after that was just as awkward and so was the week after that. It wasn't until a couple more sessions that progress was made. Neji refused to show Tenten the correct finger placement because he wouldn't come near her. She screamed jack-ass so loudly that I could hear her from my room. I rushed out of lesson to go see what was wrong. As I ran into the room, I saw her sitting there laughing while Neji only snickered. I asked what had happened and all they could do was laugh. After class Tenten told me that it was just a release of bottled up anxiety and anger. Soon after the incident the lessons were more relaxed. Little by little Neji inched his way closer to her. Eventually he was right behind her even venturing to sit next to her. He began to open up to her again. They would smile at each other at the beginning of class and take their time packing up when it was time to go. They began to flirt in a way unique to Neji. He continuously criticized her work until she got frustrated and got up. He would then play the piece she was supposed to learn until she sat back down. This continued on and on until finally Tenten broke the cycle.

"Instead of stealing my pieces, why don't we just do a duet?"

Neji was silent, mostly because he was surprised. He looked away to hide the shock on his face.

"I mean, if you want to, we can learn some duets." Tenten couldn't contain her excitement. When I asked her how things were going with Neji, she would always smile and say 'Well. It's going well.' She never gave me a straight answer about how she felt, but I could see it in her face. The giddiness she conveyed when he was around. The extra care taken to make herself pretty. I knew she liked him once again the moment Tenten finally came over to my house for dinner. Neji and her exchanged glances the entire meal. Afterwards, Tenten came into my room. She threw herself on top of my bed and let out a long sigh.

"I think I like Neji."

"I know."

"Augh what should I do? High school was so long ago but I still feel the hurt from it. I don't want to deal with that again. But the way I feel about Neji is so different than the way I've felt about any other guy."

"Tenten," I laid down next to her. "You and Neji are so compatible. If you think there's something there, you should go for it. What happened between you two was so trivial and so long ago. He's not like that now. He treats us well and I can tell he loves us like family. I say go for it."

They were once again nervous but not because of their initial distaste for one another. This time they were nervous because they once again liked one another. Tenten made efforts to bat her eyes and bite her lips coyly. Neji would now place his hand on her shoulder or guide her hands across the keys. They talked continuously about the mundane to the introspective but neither ever made the effort to continue this outside the classroom setting. It was Tenten that eventually made the first move.

"I think we should get coffee." Tenten suddenly said. She looked at him unsure of his response.

"I like that idea." Dates soon followed after lessons and they become official quickly after that.

One day Tenten asked me to come to class with her. She sat me down on the couch as she and Neji performed a duet for me. I basked in the sound of the music. It was light and airy but it gave me a feeling of happiness. I could tell they enjoyed playing the piece because it was performed flawlessly. When they were finished she approached me.

"So what did you think?"

"It was beautiful!"

"I'm glad you like it. I wrote it for you. It's in honor of you becoming my sister!" She looked at me with wide eyes and a playful expression. Neji gave her a confused look.

"What the hell are you talking about?"

"Well since Hinata is your cousin, she's kind of like your sister, and would therefore be my sister-in-law, which is kind of like my sister!" My heart stopped and my mouth fell open. What had she just said?

"I would only be your sister-in-law if…"

"Neji and I are getting married." She held out her hand for me. A large diamond sat on her ring finger. "I told Neji not to tell you until I did!"

I got up and embraced her. My eyes watered at a told her how happy for her I was. She looked at me with the same eyes she had when I was in the third grade.

"I always thought of you as a sister. But now I can finally be it." She held me tighter as I cried into her shoulder. My best friend, no, my sister was going to get married.

That night Neji approached my father about his engagement to Tenten. My dad was so happy for him. He said he couldn't have picked a finer woman for Neji.

The wedding was scheduled for May 21st. The planning was difficult enough but things became tense when Neji said an old friend of his needed him in Italy from May to June. When asked about the wedding, Neji said he couldn't say no to Sasuke. He owed him too much. His friend from college, Sasuke Uchiha, was in need of a pianist for his show in Italy, but more importantly he needed someone to escort one of his actresses to America. She was coming back to star in on Broadway and Sasuke didn't trust her to get there on her own. Tenten conceded to moving the wedding back a few months. As long as they eventually got married, little else mattered. I could feel Tenten's sorrow, not from the delayed wedding, but from Neji's absence.

For the next two months she was in constant contact with him. However, she picked up the lamest hints he might be flirting with Italian or Parisian girls. I told her Neji would never do that and she knew it to. But insecurities were always there. After a while she asked whether she was pretty. Normally she wouldn't have cared, but because her vivid imagination caused her to dream of Neji with skimpy French super model, she was looking in the mirror and commenting on her looks, or her hair, or clothes. She worried that he'd find someone else. Someone more beautiful or girly. Someone that wasn't her. As hard as I tried, I couldn't shake away her doubt.

Two months later, we were standing at the arrivals terminal waiting for Neji to come out the gates. The actress's friend, Ino Yamanaka, had joined us in waiting for the two to arrive from Italy.

As Neji came in through the arrivals he had a beautiful, pink woman holding onto his arm. He was looked nervous as he searched around for us while the girl held tight to his arm whispering things to him in a fast voice. He said something and soon the girls face matched her pink hair. She blushed hard and said something back to him. He smirked. He looked at her and said something caused her to smile brightly. Right as he locked eyes with Tenten, the woman planted a kiss on his cheeks. His whole body froze as he continued to stare at Tenten. The girl noticed his gaze. She realized what just happened, let go off his arm, and bit her nail in frustration. I turned to see Tenten with tears down her face.

"I knew it." She whispered. She ran off into the crowd escaping from the airport. Neji screamed out her name and raced after her. I ran after them both. Tenten raced into her car and drove off. Neji swore and desperately tried to call a taxi. I joined him. Before we left the pink girl spoke to Neji.

"I am so sorry. That was your fiancé? Oh boy I screwed up."

We drove off. We searched her apartment, my house, and her training centers, everywhere. She wasn't there. There was only one place left to look. The taxi man turned into the parking lot. I paid the driver as Neji raced inside and I followed. I heard sobs coming from the room. Neji walked quietly in while I stayed by the door watching. He sat down beside her and started to play. She abruptly turned to him.

"How could you?!" She cried, pounding on his chest. "How could you do that to me?"

"Do what?" He asked calmly. She looked bewildered.

"Go for that, that pink headed slut! Am I not pretty enough or were you just bored of me? You could have had the decency to warn me ahead of time. I sent the invitations and now I don't even have a wedding!" She sobbed hysterically into her hands. He grabbed her arms and pulled her face up to his.

"Tenten, you are the most beautiful girl I have ever seen, and boring is the last word to describe you. How could you think I would even go for another woman when I already have you? Now relax." He kissed the top of her head lightly

"But, but the girl-"

"Shhhh" He placed a finger over her mouth. "Just play this song with me."

"NO! I want an answer!"

"I made a comment about the guy she likes. I told her that Sasuke must care about her a lot if he needed her to be escorted. She kissed me on the cheek because of it. It's her custom."

"So…so you don't want to be with her?" She said wearily. Neji looked at her for a long time before getting out of his seat and landing down on the ground on one knee.

"Tenten, may I ask you just one more time? Will you marry me?"

Her eyes watered once again. She held a hand to her mouth and let Neji take the other. She nodded.

"Yes."

The wedding was simple. White and vintage lace lined the walkway where Tenten, decadent and divine in her dress, walked down toward Neji. They said their vows and finally started their life together.

Through Tenten's happiness, I was able to achieve some of my own. I love her and seeing my best friend get married gave me a new found peace for her. Some things are never for certain. But I'm happy to know that her love for Neji is. Because he'll be there to support her. And if he isn't, one thing I know for sure is that I will be there for her no matter what. Always.


End file.
